How Horse Racing and NASCAR Inspired Lottery Games

Equestrian admin

People choose to spend their free time in various ways. Working for forty or more hours every week can be quite straining for the average person, and even if you love what you do, it can still become monotonous if you do it repeatedly. This is where having a hobby comes in handy. People should balance their work-life with their private life to minimize stress and preserve their physical and mental health.

One of the most popular and thrilling hobbies that people have is gambling. It has been around for millennia in one form or another; a good example is the lottery, which is popular among young and elderly people alike. The arrival of the Internet has made it possible for people to gamble anywhere, at any time; you can even choose from different websites based on the promotional packages they offer. Pennsylvania lottery bonus code, for example, has various perks for different types of players. Now, there is even more fun with NASCAR and horse racing being an inspiration for lottery games.

NASCAR-inspired lottery

This year, NASCAR decided to give its fans a treat and allowed them to participate in a lottery that revolves around NASCAR races. In a regular lottery, the numbers are drawn at random, and prizes are given to players who guessed them. Players in this game, called NASCAR Racing Riches, purchase tickets with three drivers who compete in the upcoming race. This way, there are 7-to-1 odds of winning, and the prizes can range from $5 to $50,000. This opens up a world of new possibilities for NASCAR fans, as it can also lead to the creation of a game for betting on virtual NASCAR races. This exciting new game was preceded by a horse racing lottery game.

Horse-racing-inspired lottery

This new game is inspired and based on the Kentucky horse racing industry, which mostly revolves around thoroughbreds. The game is fairly simple and looks a lot like the previous one. Players can buy tickets, with three randomly assigned horses and numbers which are featured in that race. Then, after the race, the lottery outcome is based on the outcome of the race and the order in which the horses finished the race. The prizes that are distributed are not fixed, but rather depend on the outcome of the race and the number of bets placed that day; if the prize pool was larger, so will the prize be, but if there is more than one winner, the prize will be equally distributed among all winners.

Why are these games significant?

In the time of the global pandemic, many people are unable to visit their favorite betting or gambling place to relax and pass the time. Working from home can be stressful, and there are not many things to do when you are cramped up in a room. Fortunately, these games are an interesting new way for NASCAR and horse racing fans to enjoy their favorite sports and try a new way of gambling from the comfort of their homes, until it is once again safe to go to the tracks and watch the racing live.

Virtual Reality in Cycling

Cycling admin

From this point in time, it is amazing to see how far technology has progressed. There are things today that we consider quite normal, but which could not have been imagined a hundred years ago. Not only can we access every last bit of human knowledge through a little brick we keep in our pockets (without any kind of wire), but we can also communicate in a realm that is different from the one we live in – in the online world. As if that was not easy enough, to begin with, we went another step forward into the future and created devices that help us access a different reality from our own. This is what VR enables us to do.

How VR works?

Virtual reality, also known as VR, is usually presented in the form of a headset that users put on in order to block out any input from the real world, and enter the virtual environment that is presented. The picture on the inside of the headset is shaped in a way that makes it appear as realistic as possible, that is as if the user is in real life. There are countless applications for virtual reality, but one that might be overlooked is cycling. How can virtual reality be applied to riding a bike?

Training

Riding a bicycle greatly depends on the weather, and not all parts of the world are blessed with good weather conditions. Sometimes, the riding has to take place inside, and virtual reality can help with providing a lifelike environment for training indoors. Moreover, sometimes the track and the landscape where the race will be held are not well-known to the riders. VR can help with that, as it allows the players to explore the place where the race will be held and get to know all the tricky bits the track has. This makes their training and preparations for the race more effective and maximizes their chances of winning.

Lockdown exercises

One of the biggest problems that the people in the world are facing today is the lockdown due to the global pandemic. Sometimes it is difficult to stay fit, and exercising in a room cannot motivate everyone. However, if you have a room bike, all you need is a VR headset, and you could see yourself riding over the Alps, or exploring the California Valley. Virtual reality can also be employed in these situations to simulate real surroundings and relax the rider until they are safe to really go outside and exercise. This is not only beneficial for people’s physical health but also their mental health and it could become the next big trend around the world when it comes to lockdown exercising.

The Top 10 Horse Jockeys of All Time

Equestrian admin

Horse racing is a very specific sport in which horses often gallop over a race track, ridden by a jockey, with hopes of victory. It has been around for a very long time and is considered to be one of the most prestigious sports. It is expensive and thoroughbred horses are often worth more than a jockey is, unless they have reached the status of greatness. 

Horse racing is also very close to betting, often going hand in hand. Today, bettors use the internet more than they would traditional bookmakers, making use of a Betting Bonus Code to make the most of their money.

There have been and still are, some great jockeys of horse racing. Here are the best of them.

Ruby Walsh

Born in 1979, Ruby Walsh is an Irish rider and champion, best known for having the most Cheltenham victories. He was a top jockey at the festival 11 times. He retired in 2019, after a long and very successful career. 

Russel Baze

Russel Baze is a retired Canadian professional horse racer, and while he might not be as famous as people would like him to be, there isn’t a racer with more victories in general, than him. Having won over 13000 races, he is sitting at the top, comfortably.

Sir Tony McCoy

When you get a Sir in front of your name, you know that you have done something great for Great Britain. Born an Irishmen, Tony McCoy is one of the best National Hunt races, which is in other words, a race with fences and ditches and lots of jumping. 

Laffit Pincay

Born in 1946, this man is a legend of the horse racing scene of the 1970s. He won the Breeders’ Cup 7 times and has 9530 career wins. He is the second man with the most wins, second only to Russel Baze.

Frankie Dettori

Born in Italy, Dettori is champion with 3000 career wins and over 250 wins of Grade 1 races. Dettori has 6 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victories on his shelf. 

Mike E. Smith

Do you think that you are too old to be great at something? Mike disagrees. At the age of 52, in 2018, he won the US Triple Crown. This by itself is an amazing feat, not to mention his many career victories, 5559 of them, to be precise. 

Lisa Andres from Riverside, USA / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Sir Gordon Richards

Another Sir, another 4870 victories. Born in 1904, Richards had a very successful career, and was champion 26 times. 

John R. Velazquez

Born in Puerto Rico, Velazquez has 6165 career victories and 16 of them are Breeders’ Cup victories. He is still competing and is eager to win more.

Lester Piggot

Lester Piggot was born in 1935 and is famous for having both success in Britain and internationally. He also holds a plethora of records, some of which are still unbroken.

Bill Shoemaker

He is known for winning lots of races, but most famously winning the US Triple Crown 11 times, albeit never in a single season.

These are the world’s best jockeys.

Mountain Biking vs Road Cycling – Which One is for You?

Cycling admin

When debating various topics, one which frequently pops up is that of mountain biking versus road cycling. They are similar, or so many would think, right? Yes, they are, but not entirely. The way you ride changes and the bicycle you use also changes, sometimes drastically. Road bikes cannot be taken offroad, unless the road is flat and without bumps, rocks or other things which can damage its frame and wheels, and on the other hand, mountain bikes are only slowing you down on asphalt. So, should you consider mountain biking or road cycling as your next hobby? Here is a look at both.

Mountain Biking – Dangerous but Adventurous

Do not take this the wrong way, road cyclists can get into a lot of danger, as well, particularly given that they can go really fast and that they are often in traffic with vehicles (many of which are careless when it comes to cyclists). Yet, mountain biking is by itself dangerous, or rather, more dangerous, particularly for the rookies.

You need a mountain bike, or rather, a bike which parts were made to withstand going off road, bumps, drops, rapid changes in the pressure on the frame, tyres and suspension. They are by their nature, heavier, with thicker frames and suspension which can save you from lots of hurt, on your wrists and posterior, to be precise. 

Mountain biking can be divided into various categories, like cross country, which is less dangerous than downhill, but also has less adrenaline. Depending on what kind of mountain biking you would like to do, your bike will need to be more or less expensive. Light mountain biking, and you can get away with a hardtail, but for more extreme variants, more expensive full suspension bikes will be required. 

Road Cycling – Fast and Light

Road bikes, given that they are built with the purpose of being used on paved surfaces, are extremely light and therefore easier to transport. Road cycling is great when you have well paved surfaces. Luckily, you can avoid most potholes with a bike easily. You can go really fast and use it as a means of transport. A close relative to a road bike is a touring bike, which is a bit more robust and has the necessary gear for you to place your baggage, so that you can travel long distances with some comfort. A road bike can be cheaper than a mountain bike, especially since they do not need suspension, neither front or rear. With that in mind, road bikes are fragile. Your wheels and tyres are thin and you can damage it significantly if you fail to notice the sewer grating which dropped ten centimeters due to excessive wear. 

Which is the Right one For You?

That depends on what kind of cycling you plan on doing. The best answer to this is, why not both? Get a relatively cheaper road bike for commuting and traveling light and fast and a mountain bike to go off roading a bit, to get your thighs active, as well as the rest of your body. Mixing and matching means that you can have the best of both worlds. Most cyclists who try either one, often end up trying the other, and having more than a single bicycle. 

Whether road or mountain biking, the answer lies in the love for cycling. Both are unique and can challenge you in their own ways. A cyclist often ends up having two bicycles, to suit their on and off road cycling needs. If you try both of them, chances are that you might like both.

Horse Racing Around the World: Japan

Equestrian admin

The world of horse racing is a very large one. It is first and foremost a business, at least for many of the people involved. Where there are large sponsors involved, there is a lot of money involved, meaning that there will be plenty of people putting the money before the sport. In horse racing, that tends to be rather dangerous, as both horse and rider can get injured.

Horse racing is also synonymous with betting. They often go hand in hand and rare is the person who watches horse racing, especially live, and doesn’t place a bet. Bettors all over the world bet on horse racing, especially today when the internet allows us to use promo codes and bet on races which take place in America or Japan, even.

Speaking of horse racing and Japan, the Tokyo Derby, among other races, makes Japan one of the countries you must visit if you enjoy horse racing. Here are some of Japan’s most famous horse races. 

The Japan Cup

This is an international horse race which takes place on the last Sunday of November. It is one of the world’s richest races, with a purse of around 5.8 million dollars. It is an invitational race, meaning that only racers deemed worthy can be invited. This is, of course, done through ranking, not an ambiguous code. The race is 2400 meters long and can have 18 horses only. They have to be at least 3 years old and only 10 horses trained outside of Japan can participate. The race was first held in 1981 and was established as an international race in order for local horses to get a dose of international competition. Alongside other prestigious events in horse racing, it is considered one of the great end-of-the-year events. 

nakanishi / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Tokyo Yushun

The Tokyo Yushun, also known as the Japanese Derby, is one of the three races which make the Japanese Triple Crown. The other two are Satsuki Sho and Kikuka Sho. The race was established in 1932, meaning it is one of the older horse races in Japan to still be going. It is 2400 meters long, and 3 year old colts and fillies are allowed. The race used to be for Japanese bred horses only, up until 2001. From 2001 and onwards, internationally bred horses were allowed, which made the race more approachable for some jockeys.

These are some of Japan’s most prestigious and interesting flat horse races. There certainly are more, but they fall under different categories. Horse racing is very popular in Japan so if you are a fan, this should give you another reason to visit the Land of the Rising Sun.